Type 1 diabetes mellitus caused by treatment with interferon-beta

A 57-year-old man was referred to our outpatient clinic after interferon-be ta (IFN-beta) treatment for 7 weeks. While IFN-beta therapy was continued i n our outpatient clinic, his blood glucose level increased gradually, and h e was admitted to our hospital for hyperglycemia. The patient was prescribe d a 1,600-kcal diet and intensive insulin therapy was performed. GAD antibo dy became positive 15 months after the start of IFN therapy, and disappeare d 27 months after the start of IFN therapy. Insulin secretion was depleted and the patient had HLA-DR4, B54, and DRB1*0405, This appears to be a case of type 1 diabetes mellitus induced by administration of IFN-beta alone.